Post Your Firsthand Thoughts on Dealer Demo Integra Type-S

[optronix]

Took another trip to the dealer I have a deposit with to talk through timelines and take a closer look at accessories. I was pleasantly surprised that they also happened to have an apex blue, and OMFG that color fits this car so very well. Anyone having issues with the paint color-matching should deeply consider the blue.

I've bought so many cars and dealt with so many dealers, I have trust issues. I made it clear that my preferences were EITHER white or blue, with preferably black interior but I'd consider orchid. I was told I was first on the list beyond cars that were already "assigned", so if anything falls through I could get a call as early as next month- or as late as early fall for future allocations. I really like this salesman I was working with and have zero reason other than prior experience to not take his words at face value, but... I've been burned before.

As for accessories, right now I'm leaning hard on carbon mirrors, decklid spoiler, illuminated door sills, all weather mats + trunklid, heated steering wheel, and pet liner. I like the wheels but will almost surely do aftermarket so as of now I'm skipping them.

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[evanescent03]

Took another trip to the dealer I have a deposit with to talk through timelines and take a closer look at accessories. I was pleasantly surprised that they also happened to have an apex blue, and OMFG that color fits this car so very well. Anyone having issues with the paint color-matching should deeply consider the blue.

I've bought so many cars and dealt with so many dealers, I have trust issues. I made it clear that my preferences were EITHER white or blue, with preferably black interior but I'd consider orchid. I was told I was first on the list beyond cars that were already "assigned", so if anything falls through I could get a call as early as next month- or as late as early fall for future allocations. I really like this salesman I was working with and have zero reason other than prior experience to not take his words at face value, but... I've been burned before.

As for accessories, right now I'm leaning hard on carbon mirrors, decklid spoiler, illuminated door sills, all weather mats + trunklid, heated steering wheel, and pet liner. I like the wheels but will almost surely do aftermarket so as of now I'm skipping them.

apex blue is really nice. I’ve had so many white, black, silver, gray cars … time for a pop of color. I’d still be happy with all of my safe choices too though. I’d be slightly worried that passing up a car based on color might mean I totally lose my chance at picking up one new. maybe an irrational fear but … FOMO is a real thing lol. good luck getting an early ish car!

 

[Estoril]

Saw and drove the ITS yesterday morning so thought I'd throw my 2 cents in. I held off for a while to process my thoughts and not let emotions affect me too much. For reference I have not yet driven or sat in the new FL5 but did own an fk8 and have driven many different types of cars. I'm interested in both ITS and FL5 so fairly unbiased, I have allegiances to no brand but if you make an interesting car i will come knocking. I will be driving the FL5 in a couple weeks.

The cars design is great. It grabs attention in a good way, rear diffuser is not as tacky as i had envisioned based on photos. I wish they had gone with a 2 exhaust outlet design but I can live with the 3 equal sizes i suppose, I do prefer that aspect over the type R. The carbon spoiler accessory is a must have to offset the sloping roof line for me aesthetically. Im still not sure about the copper wheels on white if im honest, I didnt like them as much as in photos. I likely would spring for something aftermarket forged instead. My biggest gripe is that the tacked on rear fender flares looked awful. It looked as though a gorilla had glued them on and, to make matters worse, the tacked on flares were more yellow than the pearl white paint they were mated to. As someone who wasnt a fan of the fenders on the fk8, i felt these were somehow worse than that. Note that there's a chance this is a one off on this particular vehicle but it was enough to make me no longer want one in white, which was my first choice prior, just in the off chance it repeated on my vehicle. I am awaiting my dealers LCM model to arrive to check out.

Rear bumper height for hatch loading was more intrusive than I had imagined. Lots of space inside but hopefully not lifting anything too heavy in there, would need to watch out for the paint around the hatch. The red interior was not as terrible as I thought it would be from photos. Pics make it look more candy apple but I'd say it's a touch brighter than Lexus' red interior so darker than I imagined. I still hate the red leather piece that wraps around the passenger with a passion, it doesn't look cohesive to me. Id be going boring black interior personally but get it for those who want color. Front seat materials look solid all around and touch points are nice. Back seat is sparse with limited head room, hope you dont have a lot of tall friends going for a ride with you. Frankly the seats to me were just regular car seats, nothing really to write home about and unsure how well they would hold onto my slimmer frame on a track or the tail at 1+ G. Great for 99% of driving though if we're being honest, hard to judge long road trip comfort at this time. Alcantara steering wheel felt good (when brand new) and shifter feel was solid with accessory knob, very short throws. First time I've ever wondered if almost too short?? (Wtf is wrong with me?)

On the road the car made solid usable power low in the rpm range, suspension felt fine to me in all settings so I'm beginning to wonder if I'd even mind the harsher sport setting in an R? The rev match system was annoying to me but I'm an old school person, the heads up display was fantastic to have though. The rev hang was present and admittedly a bit disappointing. Now, on to both the best and worst driving aspects in my opinion.. The exhaust sounded about where I want it, I was so worried they'd go over the top with crackles but I think they nailed the sweet spot and about as good as a 4 cyl can sound. On the other hand the clutch was so light I couldn't jive with it and the bite point felt somewhere underneath my knee cap. To me they overdid it, there was no feedback through the clutch pedal. Im assuming for "daily driving" purposes. Good for someone in LA traffic, not so much in my area. Like I mentioned power felt good and handling hard to truly test in the time I spent in it so I'll strike that from the review other than to say it felt good and sharp enough for daily driving.

Conclusion nobody asked for: Its a good looking, comfortable, excellent performing, daily driver. I'm also not sure that I like it more than my current car. There's something missing and it's not easily conveyed in text. There's an aura missing, a fizz, a personality, a special feeling I got every time I got in the fk8. I'm not sure what exactly provides me that feeling or even if the FL5 would give it to me. Perhaps that feeling is something you get only once in your life and spend the rest chasing it in other vehicles in futility? The ITS just felt like a normal car, mainly because it was designed to be just that. Therein lies my second problem with it. I would have guessed based on interior and exterior that it would be a low 40ks car without knowing anything else about the vehicle, but I suppose times have changed in the auto industry. Comparing it to my fk8 that cost me 32k 4 years ago it just doesn't measure up and I don't mean in performance metrics alone. I would encourage everyone to seek a demo out and take it for a spin. There's a lot of financial justification happening around the S and the R right now, it's hard to tell who's reviews you can trust or not. People bias their reviews based on where their money is going to reinforce their decisions, in the end I would take a test drive and disregard all reviews you've read, price tags, etc. It will be interesting for me to drive the R in the coming weeks. Thanks for reading my novel

 

[B-RapidK20]

Nice. I love Costco and have my insurance through them.
What accessory discount did they give?

I think it’s like 15% off accessories you have to fill out a survey of some sort from Costco.

 

[scandorama]

Saw and drove the ITS yesterday morning so thought I'd throw my 2 cents in. I held off for a while to process my thoughts and not let emotions affect me too much. For reference I have not yet driven or sat in the new FL5 but did own an fk8 and have driven many different types of cars. I'm interested in both ITS and FL5 so fairly unbiased, I have allegiances to no brand but if you make an interesting car i will come knocking. I will be driving the FL5 in a couple weeks.

I enjoyed your 'novel' quite a bit, and I think you nailed it. It's all about how it makes you feel - to me, nothing else matters, not 0-60, not hp & torque, not record-breaking lap times, only how the car makes you feel - feel the feeling when you see in the flesh for the first time or when you wring it out a bit going from 2nd to 3rd. I test-drove an ITS yesterday, I was very impressed, the car 'did' it for me - it felt great, it felt awesome! I got in on 1 of 200 cars from the 'reservation event' and didn't want to sign any purchase order until I've gotten a chance to see and test-drive it. Now I can't wait for it to arrive at my dealer ship and go pick it up! Settling on a car is very subjective, but for me and in this case the the Acura Integra Type-S is greater than the sum of ITS parts!

 

[Estoril]

I enjoyed your 'novel' quite a bit, and I think you nailed it. It's all about how it makes you feel - to me, nothing else matters, not 0-60, not hp & torque, not record-breaking lap times, only how the car makes you feel - feel the feeling when you see in the flesh for the first time or when you wring it out a bit going from 2nd to 3rd. I test-drove an ITS yesterday, I was very impressed, the car 'did' it for me - it felt great, it felt awesome! I got in on 1 of 200 cars from the 'reservation event' and didn't want to sign any purchase order until I've gotten a chance to see and test-drive it. Now I can't wait for it to arrive at my dealer ship and go pick it up! Settling on a car is very subjective, but for me and in this case the the Acura Integra Type-S is greater than the sum of ITS parts!

Congrats my friend and hope you get many years of enjoyment out of it!

 

[Civilized89er]

Ok guys, so I’ve owned the FK8, FL5, and the MK8 Golf R. Currently in a F80 M3 so I would like to add to the guy who wrote the novel. The FL5 compared to the ITS is night and day. The FL5 is so stiff and uncomfortable. At least it was to me. The seats in the FK8 were much better to me and the ride quality in the FK8 was much better as well. As a daily driver I would take the FK8 all day. The ITS reminded me a lot of the FK8 and maybe that’s why the guy who wrote the novel may have felt that it wasn’t super special feeling. To me the fit and finish was better than my MK8 golf and I mean that in a good way because the Golf R panels are always perfect. Interior same story very nice. The seats were more comfortable than the FK8 seats. For a daily this is a must. I think people get so consumed with the specs of these cars and unrealistic expectations day to day. The FL5 is a track car that’s can be used in the street and this is a daily first that you can take out to the track if you want. Which I think fits most people scenarios. The ITS is the more approachable, liveable, comfortable car. Mine will be ready in less than 30 days and I can’t wait.

 

[HvnterTheHvngry]

15 min test drive yesterday in a white demo with all the accessories installed. Glaring fitment issue above left headlight, which I assume is more from the dealer taking the front off to put on the illuminated emblem but it was egregious. Fitment everywhere else was fine. The front molded fenders looked very nice. The rear fenders looked like tacked on poo poo. Sorry, but they do. From a distance it's fine but up close... no. I suppose there is an engineering/design/construction answer as to why this is but I hated it.

The overall look is so close to being something amazing but the way they addressed the rear fenders was like fumbling the ball at the 2 yard line.

Personally, I was hoping this car was going to be more Type R in different clothes. I wanted the experience, the whole package, to be able to justify the asking price. To feel nearly as special and greater than the sum of its parts. Hell we've all been waiting almost a year with bated breath because of what could have been with this car. Unfortunately, to me it just felt like a jazzed up A-spec Teg with a little tighter handling and a little more power. That's it. Flame me if you want but I was left wanting more. Sport+ mode might as well have been comfort mode. Rev hang is still there. Exhaust is nicely done however.

I hate to be another dude in the long line of dudes criticizing the price but after driving one - that's all I can think about. I would be willing to look past every single one of those criticisms if this car was affordable for the segment of folks its targeting. The demo I drove, grossly misaligned panel and all, was going for 65k. SIXTY FIVE !!!!!! Unbelievably overpriced for what it is. Everyone has already seen a thousand comments stating what features it is missing compared to its peers and once I was in the car, it was painfully obvious. The car was not greater than the sum of its parts.

I came away with the impression that it is a nice car that checks a-lot of daily driver boxes for people who want a sporty manual drive with a little more space than coupes offer. I might even still go after one for myself. But, no one should pay a single cent over MSRP, not one fvcking cent. It just wasn't special to me and if I am going to overpay for something, I kinda need that feeling.

 

[Airbag]

I test drove the demo ITS on Friday 6/23.

To put things in perspective...
I'm 67, retired and have always owed and driven manual transmission cars starting with my first car, a 67 Mustang. I’m 6’2” and 200#. I have never driven on a track or been to driving school. I tried to teach myself how to heal-toe but never got proficient at it. I just enjoy driving sport sedans with MTs. Automatics drive me nuts with the constant and often (IMO) inappropriate gear changes and I hate paddle shifters even more. I’m currently driving a 2004 Acura TL 6MT with the full A-Spec kit. I’m awaiting my Apex Blue ITS at MSRP and was a lucky winner of one of the first 200 cars.

I put about 40 total miles on the demo ITS driving (alone) up San Marcos Pass road in Santa Barbara. It is a curvy two lane mountain road with a speed limit of 45-50 mph. The demo was white and SB Acura put every option on the car. List price was $61,590 (including all the options installed and dealer markup). The demo ITS seemed to me like a girl with too much make up. The copper wheels, carbon fiber spoiler and mirror caps, emblems and even the gear shift knob were too much. I’m glad I got mine stock. The seats were comfortable for someone of my size and I’m glad they included lumbar support. Without that I would have been uncomfortable. Lateral bolsters were less than I expected. Visibility front and rear was great even with the sloping sportback and mirrors were great.

The car holds the road like nothing I have ever driven with no perceptible body roll and is way better at that than my 2004 TL with the A-Spec suspension and 18 inch wheels with 235 Michelin Pilot A/S tires. In comfort mode the suspension is equivalent to my car (that my wife hates because she says it’s so bumpy [especially if she is texting lol]). Granted our roads here in Santa Barbara are not great. But this is not a luxury cruiser even in comfort mode. Sport and sport+ modes are each noticeably more responsive and aggressive. There is a fair amount of road noise (more than my TL A-Spec) with the 265 tires. The ITS has a wide power band and minimal downshifting is necessary to climb steeper grades. I love the rev-matching on downshifting. It plenty fast (faster than my TL A-Spec) and pulls hard in every gear. I discovered that one can’t see HUD with polarized sunglasses. I tried the touch screen to add music but it was not quickly intuitive (for this geezer) so I shut it off and realized I preferred the music of the K20C engine in Sport+ anyway. I made a promise to myself not to use the touchscreen while I’m driving until I’m completely comfortable in the car. Breaks are great and with the 265s this light car will stop on a dime. Didn’t feel any torque steer (like I occasionally feel in my TL A-Spec when accelerating out of a turn). I still wish it had memory seats (for when my wife drive’s it) and Homelink (for the garage door) but despite that I think I will be very happy with my Apex Blue ITS.

 

[Lflouie]

Regarding "rev hang", I did not experience any but I shut off the rev matching which is claimed to be the source of the "rev hang".

 

[HvnterTheHvngry]

Regarding "rev hang", I did not experience any but I shut off the rev matching which is claimed to be the source of the "rev hang".

I plan on taking another test drive to confirm or disprove my initial impressions. Will try turning it off.

 

[lz23]

15 min test drive yesterday in a white demo with all the accessories installed. Glaring fitment issue above left headlight, which I assume is more from the dealer taking the front off to put on the illuminated emblem but it was egregious. Fitment everywhere else was fine. The front molded fenders looked very nice. The rear fenders looked like tacked on poo poo. Sorry, but they do. From a distance it's fine but up close... no. I suppose there is an engineering/design/construction answer as to why this is but I hated it.

The overall look is so close to being something amazing but the way they addressed the rear fenders was like fumbling the ball at the 2 yard line.

Personally, I was hoping this car was going to be more Type R in different clothes. I wanted the experience, the whole package, to be able to justify the asking price. To feel nearly as special and greater than the sum of its parts. Hell we've all been waiting almost a year with bated breath because of what could have been with this car. Unfortunately, to me it just felt like a jazzed up A-spec Teg with a little tighter handling and a little more power. That's it. Flame me if you want but I was left wanting more. Sport+ mode might as well have been comfort mode. Rev hang is still there. Exhaust is nicely done however.

I hate to be another dude in the long line of dudes criticizing the price but after driving one - that's all I can think about. I would be willing to look past every single one of those criticisms if this car was affordable for the segment of folks its targeting. The demo I drove, grossly misaligned panel and all, was going for 65k. SIXTY FIVE !!!!!! Unbelievably overpriced for what it is. Everyone has already seen a thousand comments stating what features it is missing compared to its peers and once I was in the car, it was painfully obvious. The car was not greater than the sum of its parts.

I came away with the impression that it is a nice car that checks a-lot of daily driver boxes for people who want a sporty manual drive with a little more space than coupes offer. I might even still go after one for myself. But, no one should pay a single cent over MSRP, not one fvcking cent. It just wasn't special to me and if I am going to overpay for something, I kinda need that feeling.

The A Spec is a slug compared to the ITS and why would you even consider this car based on your review.All the youtube reviews have nothing but praise for this car.Very few cars get the positive reviews this one has.

 

[HvnterTheHvngry]

The A Spec is a slug compared to the ITS and why would you even consider this car based on your review.All the youtube reviews have nothing but praise for this car.Very few cars get the positive reviews this one has.

I drove them fairly close together starting with the A spec. I am not considering the A spec but was curious to see how an Integra drove while I was waiting for the ITS release to arrive.

I am aware of the reviews, there are certainly some very positive aspects of this car. At the same time, the business relationships required to run a successful review channel can downplay certain criticisms. Not hating, they have to play the game. I very much agree that this car will scratch the enthusiast itch well and haven't ruled out trying to get one for MSRP. I had high expectations going in to test drive because of those reviews. They weren't met. I was expecting to be proven right by initially giving Acura the benefit of the doubt in regards to pricing/value.

 

[lz23]

I drove them fairly close together starting with the A spec. I am not considering the A spec but was curious to see how an Integra drove while I was waiting for the ITS release to arrive.

I am aware of the reviews, there are certainly some very positive aspects of this car. At the same time, the business relationships required to run a successful review channel can downplay certain criticisms. Not hating, they have to play the game. I very much agree that this car will scratch the enthusiast itch well and haven't ruled out trying to get one for MSRP. I had high expectations going in to test drive because of those reviews. They weren't met. I was expecting to be proven right by initially giving Acura the benefit of the doubt in regards to pricing/value.

In Canada the car is 58,600 so seems to represent pretty good value, the m240i is about 12K more a M2 is about 25K more,the only car close is the Z car.Savagegeese and ThrottleHouse tell it like it is,they don't follow the typical reviewers.

 

[HvnterTheHvngry]

In Canada the car is 58,600 so seems to represent pretty good value, the m240i is about 12K more a M2 is about 25K more,the only car close is the Z car.Savagegeese and ThrottleHouse tell it like it is,they don't follow the typical reviewers.

If I spent multiple hours alone with the car on canyon roads or a track.. I might arrive at the same conclusion. Just sharing my experiences, fun to debate what always boils down to personal preference

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